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Entertainment
General For a decent seat at most activities, including going to the movies, you should aim to be there at least 15 minutes in advance. For shows at the Walt Disney Theatre you should aim to be there at least 30 minutes before show time. The Navigator The Navigator is the daily "newspaper" while you are on board the ship. Your room host will put copies in your cabin every evening during turndown for the next day. It contains all of the information you will need for the next day including a complete events and activity listing. Activities are streamed in groups, with several streams dedicated to kids of different age groups, there is one or two adult streams, up to 3 all ages streams, a character meeting steam, a movie theatre stream and a stream for what is showing on the giant screen out on the top deck. Your Navigator is normally around 6 pages. Page 1 includes sunrise/sunset times, ashore/aboard times (on port days), dining dress code and weather. It provides the details of the major show in the theatre that day and lists any other highlights in the days activities. You will also get a brief listing of the cuisine types in the 3 main restaurants for that day, the drink of the day and any important phone numbers. You may also get advance warning of upcoming activities you need to sign up for. Page 2 and 3 include a brief description of activity highlights, including movies showing in the cinema. Page 4 features information about other goings on such a spa or shop special offers, information about internet services, notifications of talk about ports being visited, etc. There is also brief details of safety notices while on board. Page 5 shows the complete listing of the days events and activities (TV listing style). Page 6 contains a listing of character appearances, a ships directory and opening hours including all dining and lounge options. You may find it worthwhile to have a highlighter to mark out any events you don't want to miss. Unsurprisingly at sea days have a lot more events and actvities. Details of all the activities lited in the Navigator can also be found in the Disney Cruise Navigator app. If you need extra copies of the paper Navigator you can collect them at Guest Services on Deck 3. One activity not listed in the Navigator is the Hidden Mickey Hunt. Get a list from Guest Services and you can track them down. A Hidden Mickey is a Mickey Mouse silhouette worked into design features so it is relatively invisibleunless you are looking for it. Walt Disney Theatre Located on Deck 4, the Walt Disney Theatre is home to Broadway-style shows, live cabaret acts and first run movies. Wheelchair seating is available in the front row and the last row at the back of the theatre. Before each show you will find snacks in the lobby in a small concession called Preludes, all of which are charged. Get a drinks top up on Deck 9 before the show and bring you own snacks (or maybe cookies from room service or from Cabanas or Cariocas during the lunch buffet) if you want any. Dinner is shortly after the show so snacks are usually not really necessary. The main show every evening plays twice, an early show at around 18:00 and a second show at around 20:00. What the show is and the exact time will be in the Navigator each day. We will be seeing the early show (if we want to see it) as we have second seating dining. If you do not want to go to the theatre but still want to see the show it is telecast live so you can watch it on TV in your stateroom. Buena Vista Theatre The Buena Vista Theatre is a luxuriously plush movie theatre with both Dolby Digital and Dolby 3D that offers at least 4 film showings every day. Movies are from the Disney stable of studios and range from animated features to action blockbusters. Most are new or reasonably recent, but there will also be periodic dips into the archive. New Disney movies which are premiering also get a premier on board ship at the same time as the premier on land. Most of these are shown in the Walt Disney Theatre though as it seats far more people. Shows can start from as early at 09:30 with the last show of the day soemtimes as late as 22:00 or 23:00. Before each show there is normally a small stand outside selling sweets, popcorn and drinks (charged) During at sea days the theatre also sometimes plays host talks and seminars from guest speakers. Family Venues D Lounge D Lounge is billed as a "family nightclub", though it will often have activities throughout the day. The types of events include gameshows, karaoke, theme parties, dancing and games. Activities are geared towards families and kids. In the late evening activities can sometimes be for teens only. Interestingly D Lounge is also fully equipped as a working TV studio. Promenade Lounge Located mid ship this lounge is home to entertainment such as bingo and trivia games during the day and live music during the evening. It is open from around noon to midnight daily and has a full bar (charged) including a good selection of after dinner digestif. The Promenade Lounge is also home to the Internet Café. Adult Entertainment District One section of Deck 3 is given over to a set of venues for entertainment for adults called After Hours. The venues all sell a variety of alcoholic drinks, all charged. Most venues are open from 19:30, though this can vary so check your Navigator. After 22:00 a range of snacks are sometimes put out in O'Gills and the hallway to help soak up some of the booze. Fathoms This is the adult nightclub which is home to a selection of variety shows, games shows, DJs, live bands and cabaret performances. Late night dancing is also a regular feature. It is often open as late as 02:00. Keys Keys is more intimate than many venues, a piano bar with a Hollywood Art Deco styling. As a piano bar it regularly features live piano music and guest singers in the jazz and easy listening categories. O'Gills Styled like a neighbourhood pub in Ireland this hangout also has several big screens showing sports. Board games like draughts, backgammon and chess are also available. Sea Treasures A small duty free shop sells alcohol in the After Hours area, though anything you buy there will be held safely and you will only get it on the last night of the cruise Onboard Activities There are a wide range of activities onboard running throughout the day, with a lot more happenning on at sea days. The types of activities happening include: *Deck Parties - such as the Sail Away Party. These are held on the top deck where the Goofy pool disappears under the rectractable deck being deployed. *Stage Shows *Movies - In the Buena Vista theatre, but films are also shown on the giant screen on the funnel facing the Goofy pool. Your stateroom TV will also have several movie channels. *Cabaret Shows - These are normally in the adult nightclub, Fathoms. A family friendly showing is held early evening with a more adult version shown later in the evening. *Games - A variety of games are held on board, some in D Lounge, some in other lounges and some on deck. Deck games include sports and a variety of different types of silliness around and in the pools. Not all of these will be in your Navigator, the entertainments staff will sometimes do an impromptu game or other silliness on deck. *Pin Trading *Character Meet and Greets *Beer/Wine/Tequila/Margarita - Held in one of the bars, normally charged at arond $15 (£10). *Seminars and Tours - Behind the scenes tours, guest speakers, hands on activities and cooking demonstrations sometimes feature on the activity lists. Spa Services The ship has a full service spa offering a wide variety of services. Most services are on the pricey side compared to land based alternatives. The Tropical Rainforest with its small selection of saunas and steam rooms is a nice place to relax at a resonably good value price. Note that all services with a cost in the spa automtically have an 18% tip added to the bill. Spa Treatments These are the mainstay of the spa, but as noted are pricey. The menu of services offered includes massages, facials and teeth whitening. Other special treatments are periodically advertised in the Navigator. Tropical Rainforest This is a small thermal suite with a dry sauna, a chamomile sauna and a steam room, along with a fog shower and heater recliners. At around $16 a day it is one of the best bargains in the spa. Hair Salon A full set of services you would expect from a hair salon, not as cheap as land based salons, but not with the severe mark up the spa has. Manicures and pedicures are also on offer along with waxing services. There is a seperate barber shop for men. Reservations are essential. Exercise There is a fitness room including exercise bikes, stair climbers, rowing machines, free weights and weight machines. You can even borrow an iPod preloaded with workout tracks. It is open from 07:00 to 20:00 and is free. There is also an aerobics studio that offers a variety of classes and health seminars mostly between 30 and 45 minutes. In the main these are all free. An easy going free exercise is a brisk walk (or run) on the Promenade Deck (Deck 4). Note that the traffic flows in a counter clockwise direction, check the directional arrows on the wall. 3 laps are a mile and as a bonus you will get to see where the giant anchors are stored as you walk past. It helps avoid collisions. You may also see instructor led "Walk a Mile" events listed in the Navigator.